


Disney and Deceit

by DragonSaphiraReads



Series: The Selfish Protector [7]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Sympathetic Deceit, he intentionally pisses the others off, sassy deceit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18676276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSaphiraReads/pseuds/DragonSaphiraReads
Summary: Deceit joins the other sides for Friday movie night for a new game Roman creates, but Virgil and Patton aren't exactly thrilled with his presence.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - You can now listen to this oneshot as an audio recording, read by me! https://youtu.be/hgca2j607RE

“I’m so glad you two have come around! This is going to be so much fun, I’ve even devised a new game for us to play so we can get to know Deceit a little more!” Roman was smiling widely as Virgil and Patton told him they’d decided to come to family movie night like normal. 

Virgil shrugged, and Patton felt a pang of guilt in his heart. Roman was so happy, happier than Patton had seen him in a while, now that he thought about it. Even now he had a spring in his step, bouncing between the kitchen and the living room, preparing food and drinks and changing around the common room to seat everyone comfortably. 

It was for the best, he reassured himself. Roman was just blind with the praise Deceit always laid on him. They would save him before the snake could turn on him like Virgil told him he would. 

“Of course! Is there anything I can help with, kiddo?” Patton offered, and Roman shook his head. 

“Nope! I’ve got everything under control! You and Virgil can just hang out in the living room while I go get Logan!” The prince practically skipped past them and down the hall towards Logan’s room. Virgil and Patton sat down on the sectional, glancing at each other for a moment to reassure themselves.

“Virgil... this is... good, right?” Patton whispered, his throat tight. Virgil put his hand on top of Patton’s, squeezing it softly. 

“You’re not sure?” The anxious side tried to hide his surprise - since when did Patton not know? He was Morality, that was his purpose. 

“I mean... I just...what if they get angry at us for this?”

Virgil sighed. That thought had crossed his mind too, and it didn’t make him feel good. “As long as they’re safe, it doesn’t matter, right? It’s that, or they get sucked into whatever game Deceit is playing and we lose them completely.”

Patton nodded slowly. “Right... we won’t let that happen.”

The emotional side didn’t know if he would be able to handle Logan or Roman being angry at him, but Virgil was right - they had to keep them safe from Deceit. 

“I’ve got him!” Roman called out as he entered the room, dragging Logan behind him. “Our resident nerd was once again planning on skipping on movie night!”

Logan rolled his eyes, pulling his arm from Roman’s grip. “I was planning no such thing, I simply lost track of the time. I’d appreciate you not implying otherwise.”

“Aww, so you do like spending time with us! I thought you thought Disney movies were annoying and childish?” Roman teased. 

“They are overly optimistic and fanciful, not to mention unrealistic. However, they are a suitable way to pass the time if you enjoy not having to think for two hours.” It was both a compliment and an insult, but Roman took it in stride. 

“Sure, whatever, you know you love it! Anyways, let’s get comfortable!” Roman waved his hand and his clothes shifted from his normal princely attire to his Christmas sweater and red sweatpants. Logan followed suit as he took a seat on the other side of the sectional, curling up in his sweater and pants and opening the book that he’d taken from his room. 

Patton grinned and shifted as well, but instead of the Christmas sweater he shifted into his cat onesie, he had very few chances to wear it anymore and it was just so warm and cuddly! 

Virgil on the other hand didn’t change. When Roman came into the room and set the snacks down he pouted, but Virgil shrugged.

“I’m already comfy enough, Princey.” 

“But...”

Virgil raised his eyebrows, but Roman didn’t finish the thought, instead rolling his eyes at Logan who'd pulled out a book. “Really, Matilda? Did you take that with you so you could ignore us?”

Logan didn’t look up. “No, I’m only reading until all of us are here. There’s no point in starting any activity you have planned until Deceit arrives.”

“If that’s the case, let’s get the party started.” The four of them looked up at Deceit, who’d entered the room while Roman and Logan were squabbling. The snakelike side took a look at the four of them and smirked slightly. “Looks like I didn’t get the memo about the dress code.” Deceit teased. Roman gasped. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I totally forgot to tell you! Ah, if you like, I can design a sweater for you too!”

Deceit’s mouth twitched for a moment into a genuine smile. “Really? You’d do that for me? Well, I suppose I can accept, on one condition.” He purred, and Roman nodded heartily. 

“What’s that?”

“You design a sweater, but I get to change the rest. I’m rather creative too, you know~” Deceit winked, and Virgil could feel his chest burning when he heard the flattered giggle that came from Roman. The creative side thought for a moment before flourishing his hand towards Deceit, who snapped at the same time. 

The result was a yellow and black sweater divided right down the middle. There were two snakes curled back and forth across the color divide, one black and one yellow. The yellow half was on the left and had black lines indicating scales all down the half of his chest and left arm. The collar, bottom edge and arm cuffs were the opposite color of the main sweater. The way the sweater was cut, it hung lower on his neck than Deceit’s normal outfit, and the others could see how his scales trailed down his neck, disappearing into his collar. 

Aside from Roman’s very fitting sweater design, Deceit now wore black sweatpants, thick fuzzy yellow socks, and a yellow beanie with black stitching. He had, however, kept his signature yellow gloves. 

Patton couldn’t help but admire the sweater design - Roman had clearly put just as much thought into this one as he had into the others, which either meant he was incredibly good at thinking up designs on the fly, or that when he designed the sweaters, he’d designed them for _all_ of the sides. 

Virgil on the other hand was not impressed. “Do you two always have to be so extra?”

Roman spun to spit some retort at him but Deceit stepped forward and patted Roman’s shoulder, grinning. “He’s just jealous that my sweater looks better than his. Incredible work as always, Roman.”

The prince glowed at the praise. “Why thank you! I was hoping you’d like it!”

Deceit nodded, then turned to the side and noticed Logan was watching him with curious eyes. The lying side smirked and put a hand on his hip, striking a natural pose. “Like what you see, Logan?”

“I’m certainly curious about your scales. Do they extend down the entirety of your body?”

Deceit could physically feel the anger coming from the other side of the couch and decided this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He licked his lips and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’d be happy to show you sometime, Logan~” Deceit purred low, and Virgil slammed his hands down hard on the coffee table, rattling everything. 

“That’s enough of that! Roman, can we just start now? Deceit’s here now, unfortunately.” Virgil sneered as Deceit snickered at his outburst and sat down in the corner of the sectional. Patton cast a sideways glance at him, watching him with careful consideration as Deceit turned his attention to Roman, standing in front of them all, ready to explain his game. 

“Ok! So, I was thinking about it, and I realized that we may all ‘know’ Deceit, but we don’t really ‘know’ him! So I’ve created a brilliant game, Disney themed of course, to help us get to know each other!” Roman waved his hand and conjured five patches, each a side’s logo. He shuffled them around like cards in his hands while he talked. 

“I’ll hand out these badges blindly and once you have one, we’ll go around and you have to pick a Disney character that you think represents the person best!”

“What if we pick ourselves?” Patton asked. 

“Then you choose someone to compare yourself to! Oh, and this is just Disney! No Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, nothing like that! We’re staying classic!”

“Sounds fun~” Deceit hummed. Roman beamed. 

“We’ll do a couple rounds. Once we finish one, we’ll pass to our right and go again! Now close your eyes and pick a logo!” Roman fanned them out and Logan humored him, closing his eyes and picking blindly. He drew a purple storm cloud which he fiddled with absently as Roman moved on. 

Deceit drew a red and gold crest, Patton drew a brain with glasses, and Virgil drew a two headed snake. It left Roman with a heart with glasses, and he grinned. 

“Alright, everyone’s got one, who wants to start?”

They were quiet for a moment as everyone thought, and Roman fidgeted as he started to worry that maybe the others wouldn’t play along with this game, wouldn’t enjoy it as much as he thought they would. Was this a bad idea? 

Deceit saw the distress building on Roman’s face out of the corner of his eye and opened his mouth to start, but Virgil beat him to it. 

“Easy. Deceit is the villain from Princess and the Frog.”

The lying side in question raised an eyebrow. “Dr. Facilier? Wow, Virgil, I’m _so_ surprised you chose a villain to compare me to.”

“You’ve got a stupid hat, weird glowing powers and a look that puts everyone on edge. I think it fits you perfectly.” Virgil snarled, but to his annoyance Deceit just grinned.

“Aww, I’m honored you think so highly of me! However, it does give my suggestion an unwanted connotation. I was going to suggest that you, Roman, were just like Prince Naveen.”

Roman blinked. “Oh yeah?”

“A dashing prince who gets in a little over his head, who falls in love and spends his time trying to woo the person he’s been on the journey with, not to mention willing to sacrifice being with the person he loves to make sure that they’re happy? Oh, and fluent in a love language as well~” Deceit counted off on his fingers as Roman grew more and more red. Hearing Deceit explain his choice made his heart nearly burst from the praise, but he cleared his throat and tried to hide just how good it felt to hear his words. 

“You make a compelling argument...” 

“Oh, and his singing voice is rather divine as well, we can’t forget that!” Deceit added, and Roman nearly burst into flames. He coughed awkwardly, taking the opportunity to hide his wide grin behind his hand. 

“Well, I, uh... I think Patton’s just like Cinderella’s fairy godmother.” He sputtered, moving the focus away from him. The side in question lit up, bouncing slightly in his seat. 

“Ah, that’s sweet Roman!”

“W-Well, you’re sweet and you’d do anything to help someone like Cinderella achieve her dream, and you would totally make a pumpkin into a carriage!”

Patton giggled. “True! Bibbity boopity boop!” He sung, tapping Virgil’s nose to the other’s confusion. “Well, I got Logan and I thought of Mary Poppins!”

Logan pursed his lips. “Really?”

“Yes! She’s organized, and knows exactly what to do to make sure the kids get their work done!”

“She’s also calculated enough to realize when she needs to leave and detach from the situation to move on to the next problem.” Deceit added, and Logan blinked, considering it. 

“I... suppose. Although I cannot imagine singing the songs in that movie, they’re somehow more ridiculous than any other Disney film.”

“Says the guy who spent almost ten minutes singing about a jelly brand...” Deceit muttered and Roman snickered. Logan kept his face neutral, though the tips of his ears did turn pink. He cleared his throat. 

Logan looked at Virgil. “Well then, I believe that just leaves me. I believe Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas is a good fit for you.” 

“Is this just because I’ve got a poster of the movie in my room?” Virgil asked. 

“Partially, yes. I know you enjoy the movie. However, I believe you do share some traits with the protagonist.”

Roman tilted his head. “Really? I would have put him as Sally, if I had to pick someone from that one.”

“Yes, well, I find it an accurate metaphor for your joining our little group.” Everyone’s attention was on Virgil, so nobody caught how Deceit’s jaw tightened ever so slightly at Logan’s words. “You were stuck in your own world, feeling isolated until you came across something new and exciting. However, your entry into this new world was... rocky, one might say. The details of the movie muddle the metaphor, and perhaps the ending isn’t truly reflective of our truth, but regardless, I feel it’s suitable.”

“Wow Logan, that was a... detailed analysis...” Virgil said slowly, glancing quickly at Deceit but seeing only his trademark grin on his face. 

“I thought that was the point of this game?” Logan asked, confused. 

“You did wonderfully, Logan. In fact, I think your choice was the most accurate out of all of us.” Deceit complimented him, and the logical side adjusted his glasses quickly. 

“That’s kind of you, Deceit.”

Beside him, Patton could feel Virgil tense up, and he subtly nudged his leg up against the anxious side’s, trying to convey some encouragement through the touch. 

“Well then, let’s pass to the right! This time, let’s put a new rule in place! You have to name a princess that the person is like! Or a female main character, even if they don’t have the title of princess technically. For this, characters like Pocahontas and Moana are princesses, even if that’s not technically their title.” Roman explained eagerly. That hadn’t gone horribly! And forcing them into a narrower focus, hopefully he could avoid a spat between Virgil and Deceit. 

The sides all passed their badges to the right, and Deceit immediately smirked and held up his brain logo, leaning forward. “Well, this one is just too easy. Belle, Beauty and the Beast.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “Too easy?”

“She’s the only one in town who reads, and also seems to be the only one with a smidge of common sense.”

The logical side groaned. “Yes, but she also fell in love with a monster who essentially kidnapped her and held her captive.”

Roman threw his head back and rubbed at his eyes. “We’re not starting the Stockholm Syndrome argument again! Not tonight!”

Logan shut his mouth, clearly he’d been about to argue that very point. “Fine then. Regardless of that, the very fact that she _fell in love_ with him--”

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot you’re an emotionless robot who doesn’t feel anything. Unfortunately, there’s not many Disney princesses who are like that, so I had to make due with the princess who forces the prince to respect her as a person before she starts falling for him.” Deceit’s tone was more forceful than the others expected, and it startled them a bit. Logan especially leaned back, unsure to why he sounded so frustrated. 

“I didn’t mean-- Belle is fine, I just...” Deceit waited, but Logan trailed off. “Nevermind.”

“ _Anyways_ , I have myself this round, and I just have one thing to say - Merida. That is all!”

The others rolled their eyes but let it be. It was a pretty decent fit. 

“I’ve got myself too, but how am I supposed to pick a princess? They’re all way too... fluffy for my taste.” Virgil mumbled, flipping the patch over and over between his fingers. 

“What’s wrong with being fluffy?” Patton asked, pouting. 

“Nothing, it’s just not me.”

“Megara!” Roman exclaimed.

“Ooh, that’s a good one Roman.” Deceit hummed, and Virgil considered it as Roman explained. 

“She’s smart, sassy, doesn’t take any crap from Hades, and she only does what she does because she made a deal with Hades to save and protect the one she loved. It maybe didn’t turn out well... but she got a happy ending!” 

Virgil considered it, and seemed to accept it with a shrug. “Sure, whatever.”

“Patton, I have you, and I think Princess Jasmine from Aladdin fits you rather nicely.” Logan spoke, and Patton turned to him. 

“Really? I love her, she’s so pretty!”

“Yes, well, one of her defining characteristics is her intense hatred for being lied to and treated like an object rather than a person.” Patton tensed up at the mention of lying, and he intentionally avoided looking at Deceit, who he could feel was staring at him. “Considering your own moral compass, it seemed like an accurate fit.”

“A-Ah, well, I guess so... I don’t know if I could be as brave as she is though...” Patton tried to deflect, then he looked down at the patch in his hands and realized he was the last one in this round. “Um, I’m sorry, I tried but I couldn’t really think of a princess for you, Deceit...”

Deceit’s slitted eye twitched.

“That’s alright, Patton! Let’s all think of something together!” Roman was quick to reassure him, then tapped his chin as he thought. “What about... Mulan? She lied about her gender so that she could join the army and protect her father. And even when she was revealed, she still did everything she could to fulfill her duty!” Roman looked down and saw Deceit was smiling softly at him, and felt heat rush to his cheeks. The lying side quickly schooled his features into a more neutral expression as the others looked to him. 

“That works for me. ‘Hero of China’ is a title I would be more than willing to hold.” Deceit leaned back, throwing his arm across the back of the couch. 

Roman sighed in relief - he’d felt the tension in the room rise when Patton didn’t have an answer, but thankfully he’d resolved it. “OK! Let’s go again! This time - Disney princes!”

They all passed and thought for a moment. Roman spoke up first, showing Logan his badge. “I’ve got one! You, Logan, are the spitting image of Milo Thatch from Atlantis!”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Explain your thought process, please.”

“Easy! You’re a nerd, awkward and obsessed with learning! Plus, he has glasses!”

“You’re underselling him a bit, Roman. Milo is the hero of the story, all because he studied dead languages and a civilization that most people considered unimportant. If he hadn’t dedicated his life to it despite people telling him his study was pointless, Atlantis’ entire culture would have died out without anyone knowing.” Deceit added, and the other sides all stared at him in surprise. “What? I agree with Roman, but he wasn’t hitting on the important parts of his character.” He explained nonchalantly. 

Logan blinked. Did Deceit just indirectly call him important for the work he does? “I, er, well... thank you.” He stuttered, cursing himself for his lack of coherency. 

Virgil watched this exchange with clenched teeth. It made his blood boil, how smoothly Deceit could wrap the two of them around his little finger. One word that could remotely be construed as praise and they were practically falling all over him. 

He wouldn’t fall for it. He could only hope Patton wouldn’t either.

“Well, Roman, I have you this round, and I know how much would you love to be compared to a strong, daring prince, so I’m not going to do that.” Roman gasped, a hand over his heart in mock surprise, and Logan smirked. “Instead, I’m going to say Roger from 101 Dalmations.”

Roman tilted his head. “Really? Wouldn’t Patton fit that better? He loves dogs!”

“You’re musical and you would absolutely compose a song about a villain, and if you were given the chance you would completely change the course of your life to take care of dogs.” Logan explained. 

The creative side let out a huff. “Ok, I can’t argue on the song thing, but Patton would do the same thing if he had a hundred dogs suddenly show up on his doorstep.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m just playing by the rules of the game you created. I don’t have Patton this round, I have you. And that’s my choice.”

“Fine! Virgil, go, you’ve got Patton!” 

“Prince Eric.”

Roman gasped for real this time. “What?!” He screeched.

Virgil shrugged. “Patton’s the kind of person who would pick up some random stranger off the beach and invite her to stay in his castle as an honored guest. And then fall in love with her in three days.”

Patton squealed and tackled Virgil in a side hug. “Aww, you think so? Virgil, that’s so sweet!”

Deceit raised an eyebrow - that was an interesting way to react to that explanation. Beside him, Roman was huffing in annoyance. 

“I could be Prince Eric! Patton, can’t we switch?” 

Patton just giggled. “I don’t think that’s part of the game, kiddo! Anyways, this is funny, I have Virgil this round! And I’ve got the perfect one. Bambi!”

Deceit stifled a laugh, not attempting to hide how widely he was grinning. Virgil whipped around and stared daggers at him. “What’re you laughing at, snakeface?”

“Absolutely nothing. Go ahead, I’m dying to hear your reasoning, Patton!” 

Virgil sneered but Deceit stayed quiet as Patton explained, putting his hand over Virgil’s to draw his attention back to him. “When you first started really joining us in videos, you didn’t exactly know what you were doing. A lot of stuff was new and you didn’t know how to deal with it so you didn’t at first. Not until you made friends who could help you!” 

“I mean I guess...” It felt wrong, but he just wanted to move on rather than argue against it. “Alright, well, that’s it then, let’s pass and go again.”

“Hold on just a moment Virgil, Deceit hasn’t given his answer yet. This game won’t be as effective unless everyone takes part.” Logan pointed out, and Virgil inwardly cursed Logan a thousand different ways. 

“I can understand your mistake, Virgil, we all know how forgettable I am.” The anxious side resisted the urge to hiss at him. He was trying to piss him off - Virgil wouldn’t fall for it.

“Aladdin.” Deceit answered. 

“Ah right, the prince who lies and steals to get what he wants.” Virgil rolled his eyes.

Deceit turned to him, eyes narrowed. “A ‘street rat’ who’s been looked down on his whole life for who he is, something he was born as and has no control over, who was forced to steal and lie to stay alive in a society that treats him like dirt. Someone who is given a chance of a lifetime to turn himself around, but is forced to hide a big part of himself in order to integrate into that society and finally be accepted by someone who will love him regardless of his past or who he is.” Deceit met Virgil’s eyes evenly, his face a mask. Beside him, Patton was shifting uncomfortably, staring at his feet. It was an unexpectedly candid answer and he could feel the guilt stirring in his chest. The room slowly got colder as they stared at each other, the tension hanging like a thick fog in the air. 

“How is it that you manage to be even more edgy than me?” Virgil quipped, and the room’s temperature rose again as Deceit laughed, a sharp noise breaking the awkward silence.

“I can only dream of being as edgy as you, my dear Virgil.” Deceit purred, and Virgil was glad Patton was between them because otherwise he would take a swing and knock that smug look right off his face.

“Ok, let’s move on!” Roman broke in, passing his badge over. They all swapped, though Virgil was grumbling the whole way that this whole idea was stupid.

“This time let’s do side characters! Comic relief, background characters, anyone but the main characters!” 

Deceit smirked and held up the badge he’d received, and Virgil braved himself. Great, what horrible character would Deceit compare him to to piss him off now?

“Eeyore.” What? Virgil glanced at him - that was tame. What was he playing at?

“Why?” The anxious side ventured cautiously.

The lying side smirked. “Always looks on the dark side and brings up the negatives to every decision--” 

“And he’s still loved by his friends despite that!” Patton interrupted Deceit, pitting his arm around Virgil and pulling him into a tight hug. 

“And he’s still loved by his friends despite that.” Deceit parroted quietly, and while Virgil and Patton missed it as Virgil struggled to get out of Patton’s grip, Logan and Roman caught it and shared a look.

If Deceit was upset or angry, he didn’t show it as he looked over to Roman and grinned widely. “Your turn~”

Roman, who’d been debating, hit his fist against his palm and grinned. “That’s it! The Cheshire cat!”

“That’s a rather surface observation, Roman. Are you just referring to his smile?” Logan asked, and Roman shook his head. 

“No! Well, yes, that’s part of it, you have a very unique smile, but it’s more than that! In the movie, the cat appears just to confuse Alice and say things that make sense to him, but nobody else.” Roman grinned a little like a cheshire himself. “You always keep things to yourself and get us to run around in circles trying to understand you!”

“Oh but it’s much more fun that way!” Deceit snickered. 

“See? That’s what I mean!” Roman gestured, and Deceit took it in stride. 

“You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you~” The lying side humored him, and Roman shrugged, happy with himself. 

“Tinkerbell.”

The three of them turned to look at Virgil, who was staring at Roman intently. “I beg your pardon?” Logan asked. 

“Roman. I choose Tinkerbell.”

“Because I’m magical and wonderous? Why thank you Virgil!”

“Because you’re only pleased with yourself when someone pays attention to you. Otherwise you sulk or throw a tantrum.” Roman’s eyes widened, and he leaned back, trying to play it off with a laugh. 

“I only wish for the world to recognize my talents!” 

Deceit’s eye twitched again. 

“Yeah right princey.”

“I have myself this round! And I think I’m like Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast!” Patton broke in, holding up his heart patch joyfully. “She’s kind and a mother and she always looks on the bright side and tries to cheer up Belle when she stays in the castle!” He said all in one breath, and the others nodded along. If any of them would be able to comfort someone in the situation Belle found herself in, it would be him. The irony wasn’t lost on Deceit that he’d compared Logan to Belle not half an hour earlier. 

“That leaves you, Logan! You have yourself, right?” Patton asked, and Logan nodded, holding up the brain patch. 

“Yes. I think I’ll choose Sebastian, from The Little Mermaid. He’s organized, task-oriented, and his plans are always ruined by someone who decides to go running of on an adventure.” He glared pointedly at Roman, who just rolled his eyes.

“Life is so boring the way you live it! I have to keep you on your toes!”

“I could certainly do without it.” The logical side grumbled. 

Roman glanced around and realized they’d all gone. “Well, that went faster than I thought! We can start a movie now, if you want--”

“Just a moment, Roman. We still have one more rotation. And I have the perfect idea~” Deceit interrupted him, and his tone put Virgil immediately on edge. 

“Oh, yeah? What’s... what’s that?”

“Well, we’ve done princesses, princes and side characters. But we have one more rotation, and one more group. Why don’t we do one last round and pick from Disney villains?”

Roman chewed his lip, looking over at Virgil nervously. “Ah, well, I... I wasn’t going to... I mean, Virgil...”

“Right, right, I understand. You don’t want to compare dear Virgil to a villain, given his _history_. But if we all do it, then it’s fair, right? We won’t single anyone out.” Deceit’s voice was smooth, convincing, and Roman would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about the villains in this game. 

“W-Well, what do you guys think? We don’t have to if you don’t want to...” Roman turned the question on the rest of them, unsure what result he himself wanted. 

“I for one believe it would be a good exercise. Disney villains especially have a wide range of characteristics and motivations, exploring those darker themes could be interesting.” Logan put in, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable. 

“And it’s just a thought exercise, after all. We’re not saying anyone in this room is _actually_ a villain, right?” Deceit added, watching Patton’s reactions carefully. He knew Virgil wouldn’t agree with him just on principle, but Roman and Logan were both for the idea. It would be majority vote...

But Roman wouldn’t dare go against his beloved fatherly side. If Patton said no, Roman would change his mind to please him. It made Deceit crazy. 

Patton knew he was being watched from all sides, and he bit his lip. On the one hand, he wanted to push Deceit away and just start watching a movie - at least then, he wouldn’t have to talk to him anymore. He could lean against Virgil and try to forget he was there at all, and try to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that just wouldn’t go away. 

On the other hand, Roman was looking at him with such raw hope in his eyes that he couldn’t bear to say no. “Well... I guess it is just a game we’re playing.”

Roman lit up - he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath until he felt his lungs burning. “Uh, ok then, let’s do it!”

They passed their badges, and Patton realized as soon as Deceit took hold of his badge what he’d gotten himself into. He felt his heart stop. How had he forgotten who exactly Deceit would be answering for!?

“I suppose I’ll start then.” Logan said after the room fell into a tense silence. “Deceit, I believe you fit Tamatoa from Moana well.”

That actually caught Deceit off guard, though he hid it well enough. “Really? Please, elaborate on that Logan.”

“Certainly. To begin, while Tamatoa is certainly an antagonist in the movie and his actions towards the protagonists aren’t exactly excusable, upon many viewings,” Logan cast a glance at Roman, “I can conclude that the main motivation for his actions is selfish desire. He gathers shiny things and keeps them in his cave, and doesn’t let anyone touch them.”

Deceit resisted the urge to rub at the scratches that were slowly healing on his face. None of them had mentioned it until now, and it wasn’t for lack of noticing, he was sure. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “Interesting. Are you calling me selfish for how I keep my room, Logan?”

Logan wasn’t intimidated, and merely shrugged. “It’s simply a comparison. Am I incorrect?”

There was a pause. 

“Not entirely.” Deceit answered, tugging at his hat that had begun to slip down on his head. 

“Alright then. Virgil, would you like to go next? You have my badge.” 

Virgil shrunk in on himself. “C’mon Teach, I don’t wanna compare you to a villain--”

Logan gave him a soft, rare smile. “It’s quite alright. This is just a thought exercise, Virgil.”

The anxious side took a breath. He damned Logan - if only he could have kept his mouth shut, he wouldn’t need to deal with this! “Uhh... I guess... maybe... Frolo?”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “From Hunchback of Notre Dame? Interesting... why?”

Virgil stared at his shoes. “I dunno... he’s smart, and he doesn’t show his emotions easily.”

“Hmm... Well, I don’t believe I’ve ever displayed the... lust he does, but aside from that I understand where you’re coming from.” 

“Yeah.” Virgil shrugged, uncomfortable. Patton nudged him subtly with his elbow, and Virgil turned up a corner of his mouth to show him he was alright. 

“Roman, why don’t you go next?” Logan encouraged, taking over the activity since Roman was sitting still, staring at the small storm cloud badge in his hand. 

“I, uh... I mean, Virgil...” He’d lost any and all bravado he’d had before, and now he just stared across the sectional with apologetic eyes. 

“Just get it over with, princey.”

“Uh... Maleficent. Technically, yes, she’s the villain, but if you look at the original story, it was actually the king and queen who insulted her first. And she even gave them a chance to fix their mistake, and only cursed them when they did it again. Not to mention she gave the princess an out for her curse!” Roman explained quickly, like the very words burned him as he spoke. Virgil shrugged, though inwardly he felt a small prick of warmth. He did everything he could to make his choice a good one for him, and to not offend or scare him. 

When had Roman gotten so careful about not offending him?

“Oh, does that make it my turn then?” Deceit hummed as Roman fell silent. The lying side grinned widely, leaning forward into Patton’s personal bubble and twirled the heart patch between his fingers. 

“I thought of the perfect one for you, Patton. How about Hans, from Frozen?”

“W-What?!” Patton exclaimed, jerking away from Deceit. “But... he’s horrible! He lies to Anna and tries to kill her!”

“He tells her everything she wants to hear, encourages her to go after her sister, her only living family, and that he can manage her kingdom by himself while she’s gone. All. By. Himself.”

Patton shrunk slightly under the intense gaze from Deceit’s golden eye. “I... don’t understand...”

“What’re you playing at?!” Virgil growled, his voice low. Deceit didn’t spare him a glance. 

“He took over, and he did it all under the radar. Nobody ever suspected what a horrible person he was inside. He kept up the facade as long as he needed to to get what he wanted.”

“That’s it you piece of shit!” The anxious side exploded, pushing Patton to the side as he stood up and grabbed Deceit’s collar, pulling him to stand face to face. “You’re not allowed to insult him! You’re saying all this stupid shit about Patton when really, you’re the one you’re talking about!”

“Virgil, please calm down! Violence will not solve anything!” Logan stood as well, trying to step forward but Deceit held up a hand.

“Don’t worry, Logan. Virgil’s just a little too into this _game_ , that’s all. Isn’t that right? Come now Virgil, it’s just an exercise - I already said we aren’t the villains we name. Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

Virgil hissed, but was suddenly acutely aware that the rest of the sides were staring at him with bated breath, waiting to see if he would really take a swing. Against all his instincts, he didn’t run away nor did he punch the daylights out of Deceit. He forced his hand open and let Deceit fall back into the couch. 

“Now then, we only have one more to go, don’t we? Patton, you’re the big finale~” 

Patton shied away from Deceit, holding the red and gold badge against his chest. “I... I can’t compare Roman to a villain! He’s a prince, that’s just... wrong!”

“Yeah, why don’t we just call the game here?” Virgil jumped in, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Roman deflate just a little. 

Deceit caught it too. “Well that’s not fair, we can’t leave Roman out of this round! But I’ve got an idea, if you need help Patton.” The deceitful side offered sincerely. 

“We don’t need--”

“How about Gaston?”

Roman turned his head. “You think-- I mean, I--”

“You’re strong, handsome, and loved by all.”

The prince sucked in a breath. “I... Those aren’t really... what make him a villain...”

“We never said you had to relate to the characteristics that make them a villain, Roman. Are you so upset by that arbitrary label that you don’t want to associate at all with any of the things that make him the character he is?” 

Roman stared at him, confused. Where did that come from? “I...”

Deceit smiled. “There’s a bit more to life than pure good and pure evil, Roman.” 

Then Deceit stood and stretched, ignoring how the rest of the sides were staring at him. “I’ll be right back, why don’t you all start the movie without me?” 

He walked out, into the bathroom down the hall. The four of them sat in stunned silence. 

“So, uh... what movie should we watch tonight?”


	2. Deceit in the Bathroom

_Deceit didn’t want to answer the door when he heard the knock. He was still nursing his face; he’d cleaned it off and made sure the bleeding stopped before laying on his bed, but it stung horribly._

_He flung himself to his feet, opening the door and not attempting to hide his frustration._

_“What do you want Roman?”_

_Roman stood tall, his shoulders back and hands clasped behind him, and he looked Deceit in the eyes. It was almost enough to distract from the fact that he was fidgeting and his heart was racing._

_“I want to apologize to you. I should have never come into your room without permission, and I--”_

_“Roman, stop.” The prince swallowed at Deceit’s flat tone. He did his best to not flinch._

_“But I truly am sorry, Deceit.”_

_Deceit blew out a breath. God, he sounded so pathetic, it cooled his temper slightly. “Tell me Roman, why are you here?”_

_“To-To apologize?”_

_“Why?”_

_Roman bit his lip. “Well, because I... I came into your room without permission, and then you got hurt because of it...”_

_“Oh no, not at all. I _adore_ having my face ripped apart by someone who’s been driven insane by my room’s influence!” Deceit drawled sarcastically, and Roman swallowed, looking at his shoes._

_“Yes, I know it was completely my fault for bringing him in there and it’s my fault that you got hurt. And I completely understand if you want nothing to do with me after this... but...”_

_He sighed, meeting Deceit’s eyes. “I still want to extend a proper invitation. This Friday, I would love it if you could join us for movie night.”_

_Deceit raised an eyebrow. “‘Us’? I thought Virgil and Patton wanted nothing to do with me even after I saved their butts.”_

_Roman winced. “Yeah, so they’re a little angry right now, but I’m sure they’ll work it out by Friday!” That was a lie, he didn’t know if they would ever forgive him for what happened. Deceit didn’t call him on it. “And... even if they don’t... it would be me, you, and Logan, and that would still be fun!”_

_Deceit watched Roman’s face carefully. He was trying so hard... and for what? For him? For Thomas? Just for curiosity's sake?_

_Deceit found that whatever Roman’s reason, it didn’t matter. He was rather curious too._

_“Alright. I’ll be there.”_

~~~

Deceit closed the bathroom door quickly and leaned against the counter, inhaling slowly to calm himself down. 

He’d expected Virgil to explode. Hell, he’d been purposely needling him ever since he arrived to achieve that very goal. Didn’t mean it was pleasant being held by your collar with a fist hovering inches from your face. 

Deceit sighed, rubbing at his temples to try and sooth his growing headache. How was it possible that the four of them could lie so badly and yet they never noticed?

He knew why - they didn’t have a sixth sense dedicated specifically to detecting when someone was lying. It had been going off practically nonstop since he’d arrived in the common room. There had only been a few blatant lies of commision, but the sheer amount of omission taking place made his head spin. 

Patton and Virgil were the worst of all. Even without his sense, he knew those two were up to something. 

There was no way they’d come around so quickly. Not with how they’d been so angry with him before. There was something going on, with Patton especially, cogs whirring behind that too-bright smile of his. 

Deceit had caught on to it pretty much the moment he walked into the room. And it was worrying him. He was sure that the effects of his room hadn’t been permanent - he hadn’t seen a single speck of gold in either of Patton’s eyes when he’d checked. He should be perfectly fine.

But there was something underlying his fake smile, something darker that Deceit couldn’t quite grasp. When he’d compared Patton to Hans, he saw a shadow flicker in those bright eyes. 

The lying side huffed, tugging off his gloves and turning on the faucet to splash his face with cool water. He hissed as the right side of his face stung as he scrubbed at it. He glanced up at the mirror and took in his appearance. 

The sweater that Roman had designed was soft, warm and ever so slightly oversized. The design itself was fitting - Roman had clearly drawn inspiration from his logo. It didn’t cover his neck like his normal outfit, and it revealed the scales that trailed past his face.

Deceit gently traced a hand against them, from the corner of his left eye down to his collarbone. He loved his scales, no matter what the others said. He loved how they glittered in the light, how they complemented his golden eye, how they split his body so nicely down the middle. He’d even learned to love the scar that traced from his ear to the corner of his mouth, a remnant of a time that he hadn’t appreciated how he looked as much.

He loved who he was, and it extended further than just his physical appearance. He loved being himself. How he could mold his words to make someone do what he wants, how just his presence puts the others on edge. He coveted his image as an over-the-top villain, molded from Thomas’s own idea of who he should be. 

Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like if Thomas was different. If Patton wasn’t so strongly in charge, if Deceit had been formed not as an entity stuck in the shadows but as what Roman might classify as a “Light Side.”

Deceit shook his head, throwing that thought away. That wasn’t important. That couldn’t happen, so there was no point in indulging that fantasy. In order to do what needed to be done... they all had to work together against him. 

The side took a deep breath, clearing his mind and slipping his gloves back on. Deceit stepped out of the bathroom to see the lights had been turned off, and the TV was on, the opening scenes of Aladdin playing. 

The other four had shifted closer to each other on the sectional. Patton had his arm around Virgil’s shoulders, who was in turn curled up tightly against the fatherly side. Roman was on the other side, arms stretched out on the back of the couch behind him. Logan was on the end, seemingly having been dragged by the princely side to side closer to the group. His legs were up on the table, arms crossed and head leaning against the back of the couch. 

They were comfy, and the sound of the bathroom door closing didn’t draw their attention. The four of them were focused on the screen and the shared bowl of popcorn on Patton’s lap. 

Deceit sighed, standing in the darkness, watching them for a moment. Roman was humming the background music quietly, more subdued than he’d been before. The lying side couldn’t help but smile slightly - the movie had to have been the creative side’s idea. 

The snake turned around and walked down the hall, into the darkness and back to his room. He’d accomplished what he’d wanted to this night. There was no point in inserting himself into their movie night. 

He wasn’t part of the family. 

~~~

Halfway through the movie, Roman got up to refill the popcorn bowl that had been eagerly emptied by the four of them. The other three were asleep. Virgil’s head had fallen heavy on Patton’s shoulder, who had in turn put his chin on top of the emo’s head protectively. Logan had curled up, falling asleep with his legs tucked under him and arms crossed. 

A smile ghosted across his lips as he looked over the three of them. Then it faded away as he thought about the missing side. 

He’d noticed Deceit hadn’t come back, but he’d kept his mouth shut. The last thing Roman needed was another argument with Virgil and Patton, so he let it go. They either hadn’t noticed or had been glad that he never came back, but Roman couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in his chest. 

Already ideas were swirling in his head, coming up with endless ways he could feasibly invite the lying side back into their group for another night. He felt guilty; he knew it was selfish of him to accept the things Deceit told him. The compliments were like candy - they tasted good but he knew they would rot him from the inside out if he took them too seriously. 

Logan would tell him that logically, the only solution is to not take it in the first place. Virgil would tell him Deceit’s words were hypnotizing, and the only way to avoid falling under his spell was to plug his ears and not listen to a thing he said. Patton would tell him that Deceit was wrong, and that he should fight for honor and justice to defeat the villain.

Roman leaned against the counter as he listened to the hum of the microwave, and the popcorn popping. He could hear all their advice so clearly, and he knew they knew better. He was the fanciful one, the one with the outlandish dreams and wild fantasies that needed to be reigned in. The others were more down to earth, so they could see Deceit for what he was, what he wanted and what he was doing.

Why, then, did the prince find himself wanting, more than anything, to speak with Deceit just one more time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and subscribe!  
> You can talk to me on tumblr! @dragonsaphirareads

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to see my take on what Logan as Belle and Patton as Mrs. Potts would actually look like, head on over to my profile and check out my platonic Loceit Beauty and the Beast AU, A Tale Older Than Time!
> 
> Comment and subscribe!  
> You can talk to me on tumblr! @dragonsaphirareads


End file.
